Commentary: Legalize pot? Don't even consider it

12:46 PM,
Feb. 16, 2014

Over time, marijuana use impairs short-term memory, attention, judgment and cognitive functions, the writer says. It also makes people more susceptible to a newly described medical condition called amotivational syndrome (loss of ambition).

Written by

Dr. John Fleming

I strongly disagree with editorials recommending that Louisiana lawmakers legalize marijuana, and I believe there is overwhelming evidence against such an action. Let me show you what I mean.

As a family physician for 34 years, a former addiction medical director, an employer of hundreds, and a congressman, I believe it is irresponsible for lawmakers to begin down the road of marijuana legalization. Pot is unquestionably addicting, though major symptoms of addiction may not be discovered until adulthood, and it is far more potent, with the THC levels having doubled between 1993 and ...